Tika Ayu, Jakarta – Presidential candidate number one Anies Baswedan called on the government to take action against state administrators who show partiality for the 2024 presidential election. This came as a response to the Garut Public Order Agency's (Satpol PP) support for Gibran Rakabuming Raka in the upcoming election.
"Will the central and regional governments uphold the principle of neutrality or let the people m aake the judgment?" Anies said at Cindua Mato Field in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, on Wednesday, January 3.
Recently, footage of Garut Satpol PP members in uniform declaring support for President Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, went viral on social media, sparking polemics.
Anies believed that the government's silence on such events would become a consideration for the people in assessing the current administration. "This is also a message to Jakarta, on whether [the government] will allow such activities. If it is allowed, the people will judge the commitment to neutrality when a violation occurs. We will see that later," the former Jakarta governor said.
Sanctions against Garut Satpol PP
In response to the viral issue, Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin said on January 3 that his side had imposed sanctions on the Garut Satpol PP members featured in the video. The sanction was in the form of a one-to-three-month salary cut. If they commit another violation, he ensures that more severe punishments await them.
Bey also stressed the importance of state officials acting neutrally in the 2024 elections so that the five-year democratic party can run fairly.